Town officials: Late adoption of guidelines won't affect budget process

Lisa Chamoff

Updated 10:45 pm, Thursday, November 22, 2012

The first selectman and town department heads say that the official adoption this week of strict budget guidelines by the Board of Estimate and Taxation will not have much impact on the spending plans they've already started crafting for the next fiscal year.

Democrats on the BET, who voted down approval of the recommendations Monday night, warned that the guidelines would be ignored by many town officials who have already started the budget process.

The guidelines, which were only approved after Republican BET Chairman Michael Mason cast a tie-breaking vote, calls for departments to submit budgets with little to no increases in the next fiscal year. Democrats had pushed an alternative set of guidelines that would allow town departments to submit budgets with three scenarios: A "level services" budget with a targeted mill rate increase of 3 percent, a budget similar to plan approved by the BET, with an overall mill rate increase of 2.5 percent, and a budget with a targeted mill rate increase of 3.5 percent.

First Selectman Peter Tesei has already been working with department heads in Town Hall, and asked them to come up with several different budgets, including a level services budget with a 2.5 percent increase, and budgets with a 2 percent increase, no increase and a 2 percent decrease. Most departments are also working with contractual salary increases of about 2.5 percent for employees.

Tesei said that he intends to do his best to submit an operating budget for the town that falls within the BET guidelines, but he is going have to consider the implications of cuts to town services.

"As a former chairman of the BET, I understand they are just that -- guidelines," said Tesei, who served on the finance board for a decade. "I'm not going to relinquish my responsibility to submit something that's in the best interest of this town."

Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey agreed that he would have to closely examine what cuts would mean for the police department.

"We're working our numbers the best we can to present alternatives," Heavey said. "As the chief of police, I don't want to diminish the level of service."

Heavey said the police department is not looking at any big expenditures over the next two years.

Fire Chief Peter Siecienski declined to discuss potential cuts in the media, but said "we're going to make sure everyone is aware of the potential outcomes" of the various spending scenarios the department is proposing.

"We're also very aware of the economy and of having to be as cost efficient and effective as possible. For our department, our budget is pretty much a flat budget."

Barry said that like many town departments, the DSS has contractual salary increases that drive up the budget, and is also planning to add to its programming, including expanding the youth conservation program that puts kids to work over the summer. He said they were able to offset the increases by spending less on internal training for staff, having employees go to outside conferences instead.

"Each department has their own requests and needs," Barry said. "For us, I think we feel comfortable in the budget that we're proposing."

The BET budget guidelines recommend that the town's operating costs be capped at $340.4 million, a 2 percent increase over the current fiscal year. During a debate at last week's Budget Committee meeting, Pellegrino and Democrat Jeffrey Ramer debated about whether such a lean budget would lead to layoffs of town employees. Ramer said at least 100 employees could be laid off. Pellegrino argued that only 20 to 40 employees could lose their jobs.

Tesei said that after having to oversee staff reductions in 2009, it's not something that he takes lightly. There are also other costs associated with layoffs -- it took the town 18 months to recoup the costs of having some employees take early retirement.